The Man Cave

This is for Tatyana, so she can see how us rednecks live out here in the sticks (if we had trees, that is). I've taken a ton of pics, but they're gonna be under the fold, if you dare.

This is looking towards the man cave central from the front door - the recliner! The loveseat and sofa are leather, and recline as well. I think the lamps are cool.

The bookcase/entertainment center units were stuffed into that closet in the corner, so I put 'em to use.

I  had some pencil drawings of the Duke hanging in the old place, and I had mentioned that to my neighbor that dammit, that was another thing I was gonna miss. Her son had drawn this picture in an art class, so she gave it to me. Looks good, too, I think. I'm also a knife nut - the case is nothing but trappers. Most are el cheapos, and I had most of these knives already. When my guns were stolen, quite a few things were moved out to the neighbor's place, and the knife collection was one of them. Never got around to moving them back, unlike many of the guns that were toasted.

That's about it for the books and DVDs that I have, but more knives.

This is the best piece of art in the place - it screams Western Kansas with the post rocks and the pheasant. The highly colored pheasant against the black and white background really pops, IMHO.

The big pic - scenic and peaceful.

I was given an battery powered grandfather style clock with chimes, but the move from Garden City screwed up the sound somehow, and it really grated on my nerves. I'd always wanted a windup clock in this style, and I got this on eBay cheap. It's a fifteen day clock that chimes once on the half hour, then once for every hour - two o'clock chimes twice, five o'clock five times, etc. Plus when it's still, you can hear it ticking. I find that comforting.

Looking into the dining area - the kitchen table and the deep freeze. I really need a computer desk to put that crap.

The kitchen counter - tea brewing, the dishwasher is running a load, so the extra ones are in the sink.

When I moved in, the burners nor the oven would light. I could get the burners going with a lighter, but the oven was screwed. My buddy the landlord had this one put in. It's an Estate made by Whirlpool - their budget line - but it's the top of that line. I'd been using a thirty or more year old electric stove. This thing is about as programmable as the microwave.

Just some Dollar General stuff to hang on the wall.

I was also given quite an eclectic set of knives, and the best among them are from Chicago Cutlery. I'd had some Forschner and Bokor sets, and a grinder on a stand with cardboard wheels to keep 'em sharp. I'd heard a lot about these things and wanted to try one out. It's a Ken Shun damascus blade, and I'm here to tell you that this puppy is a level above anything I've ever had before. It glides through tomatoes. I picked up that sharpener behind the pepper at Cabelas, and all the edge maintenance this thing has needed is to run it through the angled stone sticks slot to touch it up. My sharpening stick doesn't seem to touch the edge at all.

Never had a pantry before, either. I had a cabinet at floor level, so getting on my hands and knees to find something was a major pain. Not anymore.

Never had a dedicated laundry room before, either. The washer was in the bathroom and the dryer was out on the enclosed back porch of the old place. I'm rather fond of this setup.

And last but not least, the master bedroom.

So, anyhow, I'm pretty comfortable here for sure. I'm sure it really needs redecorating - new wallpaper and carpeting, for instance. That kind of stuff pretty well washes over me - I can appreciate how it all works together and getting a certain look, but it's really not necessary for my existence. Functional is more like it for this fat boy - I'm more into good cookware, for instance.

The biggest share of this furniture all came from one person - a former classmate whose father just passed away. She wanted me to have what I could use of his, bless her heart. I certainly appreciated her gesture, for sure. We've been friends since grade school, and she lost her hubby - another friend, some years back. She's missing her Daddy pretty bad, dern it all.

So, this is home. I'm comfortable here, more than I thought I'd be. Guess I'm more adaptable than I thought.